The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-17
THE GREAT DISASTER.
THE CAUSE BEING THOROUGHLY
INVESTIGATED
BY the Railroad Commission and tx.
pert Engineers-The Opinion Of
the Engineer News"

INV YORK, March 10 The Engineer
kelcs, having thoroughly investigated
the Forest Hill disaster on the Boston
and Providence road, will publish the
following in regard to it in this weeks
Issue:
The cause OF this dreadful catastro-
phe has been very obscure in the
newspaper accounts, the only certain
thing having bsen that the bridge was
sort Of patchwork nondescript which
violates several OF the most f6nda-
mental requirements Of good bridge
designing We are now fortu ostely
allie to SHE'D far m )Te light on what The
precise cause was than has heretofore
appeared, or than ia at all likely to ap'
pear from any other source, even in
the official investigation, from the TACT
that we have in our office wha' will
probably be the most imp 0Itant bit OF
evidence in that investigation, VIZ
the two original parts which in all
human probability were the Fl at to
break. These parts are in the possession
OF Mr.. Henry s. Pritchard, O. E., q
practical bridge engineer of Phila6el'
phia, who undertook to examine
the structure on behalf OF this Jurnal,
and who went about it little more
Systematically than those who had
preceded him. In connection with
luther information gathered for us
within en- hour or Two after the scd'
dent occurred, by Mr.. Frederick
Brooks, O. E., of Boston, thess frag-
|ments may BIZ eaid to be absolutely
conclusive as to the real difficulty,
since it is impossible that there should
have been more defective parts in the
bridge il 1t was to stand up at all.
The parts which first broke were two
defective hangers, which carried the
laet or most easterly piece OF hoor
beams of the northerly or last built Of
| the truss-the truss which carried all
| the load. So far as can be judged
from the outside appearances, they are
made of far from good iron to begin
with, bat in addition to that they are
OF very bad design and most imper-
fectly welded. In addition to thst
again, they sre both of them very
badly fawed by old and deeply rusted
breaks at the most strained section,
there being two distinct breaks of this
kind to each specimtn. The first
/ hanger has both breaks across the
weld, the first break being complete,
lard the second being an inch aud an
eighlh above it, all but complete, the
lmetal merely hanging together by the
loutside skin. This hanger can never
Shave done any work since its original
land now ancient fracture, or it would
Ihave broken apart long since. The
lsecond hanger was checked across
lhalf of its inside face covered BY the
lsupposed weld) for about half its
5depih of effective section, and this
Twas clearly where fracture first began.
liz caused a secondary fracture at
Il second. cd break in the hook
LOT the welded end, which cut
Iog somewhat larger proper
Ilfion of the effective strength OF the
Iron. All this is clear y shown in the
OF the bridge and its broken
|parts, which appear in this ISSUE, and
THE general Judgment OF engineers
Twill bear US out in saying that more
Financially bad specimens OF bridge
ldeeign, metal and workmanship can
Hardly exist. We regret to have to
lsexpres sosweeping condemnation OF
1.-The structure, but the facts more than
Illus ify it and it is but right that in an
lIoccurrence of this kind the truth should
tbe pointed out and cdade clear with
lout fear or favor. 1t is appalling to
Think of the tens of thousands OF lives
(which have literally hung by thread
lin passing over this bridge during the
Apast eleven years"
H. THE RAILROAD c. MMIssIoNRRs
&continued their investigation into the
cause of the Forest Hill accident to-
lday. George Richardson, master me-
Jchanic of the Boston and Providence
railroad, testified that the telescoping
Eof the cars seemed to indicate that
There must have been break in some
;Ipalt of the train. Anything that
lwould suddenly stop the forward part
Iof train would cause such a telescop'
ling; either the breaking Of a truck or
ia wheel or derailmeDt would cause
Hit. A single derailment would not
lcause the trucks to come of when t1e
train was going fifteen miles an hour
LII on frcsen ground. Witness thought
4the cause Of the accident was partial
HdeIailment which must have taken
place on the bridge, as there we're no
3sipns Of euch on the Roslindale side,
lie had not seen the sleepels on the
bridge to note whether there was any
&gien of derailment on them. The
trucks OF the third car must have
sstruck the abutment. The telescopine
must have taken place on the bridge
before the abutment was struck. The
br dge must have been in good
Rendition when the locomotive
etruck il. When the bridge col
lapseG it must have done so on the
west side FIST. The fret and SECOND
cars were strong and substantial. The
Third car was OF little different pat
tern. The others were strong anC
Neubstantial. Witness had seen nothing
In his examination that would indl
cate serious weakness in the bridge
LIN examining the wreck he did no
discover any rusty cracks in the iron
Except one in one OF the bearini
plates. The plate was I shaped. l
had O email crack, but he thought it o
no importance. 1t was b;oken out o
some column or support Of the bridge
but he did not know from which Part
Witness was out there yesterday anC
examined all the piers, but could fac
nolhing more than few imperfection
in the weddings. 1t was very rare t
ind really perfect weld. The axl
OF car No. 81 was repaired last Janu
airy. The journal showed discolord
ton all the way round. That vince
has been preserved. II the journa
broke outside Of the wheel it woul'
cause a serious accident, for one Q
the worst accidents in this Stat
was caused in that way. Tn
weight Of the car is carried o.
1.-THE journal. The brtak OF the joul
inal would take off the weight from tn
Wheels, and then the wheels woul
leaVe the track. The breaking OF tina
journal might have caused a shock t.
the bridge. The journal might hav
broken half mile away. Broken joul
Hnala have been known to 90 forty [